Need a chuckle? The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are here to brighten your day

Smiley
Sparisoma cretense © Arthur Telle Thiemenn/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Each year, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards showcase the lighter side of nature with a collection of chuckle-worthy images from across the globe, and 2020's crop of comedy pics should coax out a chortle or two. This year's selected finalists include a photo of a fox that appears to be in very serious negotiations with a mouse, a portrait of the happiest parrotfish you've ever seen, and a shot of a penguin that looks like it's stumbling home from a big night on the town.

Founded by professional photographers and passionate conservationists Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, the competition "aims to highlight the extremely important message of wildlife conservation in an engaging and positive way," the organisers wrote in a press release. Now in its sixth year, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Award is judged by an impressive panel of wildlife experts, photographers and comedians, including TV presenter Kate Humble, actor and comedian Hugh Dennis, wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas, and wildlife expert and co-founder of The Born Free Foundation Will Travers OBE.

But it's not all puking penguins and rude turtles, the competition also aims to spread an important message about conservation, a task that the organisers believe begins at home. They encourage shopping closer to home to reduce our collective carbon footprint, reducing plastic packaging and planting flowers on your windowsill to attract bees and other pollinators.

The winners will be announced on October 22 – in the meantime here's a selection of some of our favourite finalists.

I had to stay late at work
South sea elephant (Mirounga) © Luis Burgueño/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Seriously, would you share some
Atlantic Puffin © Krisztina Scheeff/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Hide and Seek
Azure Damselfly © Tim Hearn/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Surprise Smiles
Dwarf Mongoose © Asaf Sereth/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Almost time to get up
Raccoon © Charlie Davidson/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Wait up Mommy, look what I got for you!
Elephant © Kunal Gupta/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Doggo
Brown Bear © Esa Ringbom/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Tough negotiations
Fox © Ayala Fishaimer/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

So Hot
Snow Monkey © Wei Ping Peng/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

O Sole Mio
Spermophile © Roland Kranitz/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Faceplant
African Elephant © Tim Hearn/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Terry the Turtle flipping the bird
Turtle © Mark Fitzpatrick/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Social distance, please!
Rose Ringed Parakeet, Petr Sochman/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Tern tuning its wings
Tern © Danielle D'Ermo/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Monkey Business
Pig-Tailed Macaques © Megan Lorenz/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Crashing into the picture
Giraffe © Brigitte Alcalay Marcon/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

The race
Langurs © Yevhen Samuchenko/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

It's the last day of school holidays
Smooth-coated otter © Max Teo/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

I could puke
Gentoo Penguin © Christina Holfelder/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards